With COVID-19 making the traditional holiday party impossible, here are 5 simple ideas that will help you have a fantastic virtual event. Don't let working remotely spoil your holiday fun. Wrap up the year on a high-note with an awesome virtual celebration!
1. Branding 101 – to prevent this from feeling like yet another Zoom meeting, have a great title for the event and send a formal email invitation to set a special tone right up front.
2. Special Delivery – send each team member a box containing the following holiday party supplies. Note in the email invite that they should expect to receive this, and NOT to open it until the party begins.
SNACKS – throw in a little sweet and a little savoury to satisfy everyone’s taste buds
DRINKS – to prepare everyone for a festive toast, consider including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options (considering time of day, coffee or tea may be appropriate as well)
GIFT – wrap these separately so everyone can open them up together (gift cards and books mail quite nicely)
CARD – take the time to include a personal note for each team member
1. Icebreaker – Guess the Christmas Song!
Go to this YouTube video and have this video ready to share (i.e. skip past the ads)
Tell your team to have their “Chat” feature open and to submit their guesses for each song
Comment on who is the fastest with the correct answer for each song
NOTE – when sharing video in Zoom, be sure to click the “share computer sound” box
2. Game #1 - A to Z Scavenger Hunt
Using Zoom breakouts, divide your large team into small groups of 4-5 people
The Challenge:
To be the team who can find an item for every letter of the alphabet
Team members can only use items found in the room they are currently in
Each team must appoint someone to keep track of their answers
Each item can only be used once
Each team only needs one item per letter of the alphabet (not one item per team member)
Give small groups up to 10 minutes to complete this challenge
The Results:
Find out how many teams found an item of all 26 letters
Ask each team to report back on their most unique item(s)
3. Game #2 – Trivia Challenge
Have some competitive fun using an online trivia site such at Trivia Maker or Kahoot
Both of these options have great pre-formatted games that are themed and ready to go - or you can take a bit of time to customize a game for a personal touch
4. Team Connection - Depending on the size of your team, personal connection can be difficult. To overcome this challenge, use Zoom breakouts to divide your team into small groups of 3 or 4 people and chat about any of the following questions (or some questions of your own):
Best Christmas gift you’ve ever received
Favourite holiday tradition
What holiday movie or special do you watch over and over again
Most interesting place (or way) you’ve celebrated the holidays in the past
The one thing you’re most grateful for this holiday season
The thing you’re most looking forward to in 2021
5. Closing – Before you wrap up, take time for everyone to open their gift and comment on why you selected this gift. Follow this up with some words of encouragement, and a toast to your team. Be sure to have your Zoom view in “gallery” mode and do a screen capture of everyone raising a glass.
1. Follow Up – The day after your event, send out an email thanking everyone for attending. Be sure to include the photo of the team raising a glass.
PS - Reach out to us anytime to explore how one of our 1-hour virtual teambuilding programs can take your holiday party to the next level!
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